WATCH: Former Tag Team Champions make SHOCKING return on SmackDown and brutally attack Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits

The Authors of Pain, Akam and Rezar, made their return with their manager Paul Ellering after 3 years in WWE. 

WATCH: Former Tag Team Champions make SHOCKING return on SmackDown and brutally attack Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits

Authors of Pain and Karrion Kross (via WWE)

The Almighty Bobby Lashley has aligned himself with The Street Profits for the past few months. Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford completely changed their personas and became more calculated and focused. The trio, however, got attacked by the returning Authors of Pain and Karrion Kross on this week’s SmackDown.

Lashley and The Street Profits came out and addressed the WWE Universe, declaring their goals for 2024. The two-time WWE Champion wants to be on top of the food chain and announced he would enter the Royal Rumble. The Almighty looked determined to get back into the title picture but was soon interrupted by Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux.

They were not alone, however, as manager Paul Ellering joined them on the entrance stage, confusing Lashley and the Street Profits. The latter were attacked from behind by the returning Authors of Pain, and soon Kross got the upper hand over Lashley. Fans noticed the vignettes of Kross and predicted that the tag team would be the duo of Akam and Rezar. 

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WWE released the former tag team champions in 2020. They competed in the indie circuit for some time under the name Legion of Pain after their release. The CCO Triple H has given them a green light, and they are ready to wreak havoc with their new partner in crime, Karrion Kross. 

Reflecting on Authors of Pain’s previous run with WWE in NXT

Akam and Rezar first appeared when they teamed up with WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering as their manager. The duo won the prestigious tag team tournament called the ‘Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic’ in 2016. They attacked American Alpha after they lost the NXT Tag Team Titles to The Revival.

Authors of Pain and Paul Ellering
Authors of Pain and Paul Ellering (via Wrestling Inc.)

AOP had some amazing sets of matches against teams like TM-61 and DIY. They won their first gold as they beat DIY at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio. The duo held the title for over 200 days and dominated the entire division by delivering memorable matches. Their last match in NXT was against the Undisputed Era for the Tag Team Titles, but they were unsuccessful. 

In 2018, they made their main roster debut on Raw and defeated the team of Heath Slater and Rhyno. However, the company released them after two years, in September 2020. Finally, after three years, they have returned and allied with Karrion Kross. Only time will tell what the future holds for them. 

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